Month	Diana Perowne	Pauline Roberts	Graham Allison	David King	Terry Read	Peter George	Met. Office  Averages
	Hevingham Norfolk	Wendling Norfolk	Thorpe St Andrew Norfolk	Brooke Norfolk	Sisland Norfolk	Pakenham Suffolk	East Anglia
May	42.0mm	47.0mm	57.0mm	43.7mm	44.6mm	52.5mm	49.7mm
June	110.0mm	119.0mm	122.0mm	115.0mm	77.8mm	112.5mm	106.5mm
July	15.0mm	25.5mm	26.0mm	22.7mm	32.8mm	16.5mm	29.7mm
August	25.0mm	26.0mm	14.0mm	22.9mm	29.0mm	37.5mm	32.8mm
May – Aug Total	192.0mm	217.5mm	219.0mm	204.3mm	184.2mm	219.0mm	218.7mm
Jan - April Total	254.5mm	303.0mm	266.5mm	261.1mm	228.1mm	187.5mm	228.9mm
Year to Date Total	446.5mm	520.5mm	485.5mm	465.4mm	413.3mm	406.5mm	447.6mm

 

During this ‘Summer’ period our HPS monthly readings appear remarkably consistent, although the total rainfall in any one month can be greatly affected by thunder storms. For example; on 30 May, Wendling had 25mm, on 23 June, Brooke had 52mm and on 28 August, Pakenham had 18mm. 

Looking at the Met Office averages for East Anglia, yet again we have had a series of months with highs and lows in rainfall. In May, rainfall was slightly over the 10 year average in June it was double and in July and August it was just 58% and 59% of average. Over the four month period, June was the bad month with high rainfall, sunshine levels 73% of average and low day temperatures, but above average night temperatures. 

Compiled 13,09.2016 by Peter George

 

Photo's by kind permission of John Metcalf

12th November 2016

Web site: www.gardenforumhorticulture.co.uk

Geoff agreed to talk to the Group at short notice when the previously booked speaker withdrew.

He gave a brief resume of his career writing for garden magazines and working for the RHS which included writing eight books and carrying out product testing before being made redundant.

The subject of the books included Propagation, Bulbs, Pruning and most recent Botany for Gardeners.

From his product testing he had brought a Burgeon & Ball Transplanting Spade for a raffle prize.

As we do not have a raffle he explained that he would ask a question at the end of his presentation and the spade would be the prize for the first hand in the air with the correct answer and that he would not accept a shouted out answer.

His first slide was of a Rhododendron for which he professed a passionate aversion to the species. In that it did not fit in with a plant that gives of its best for most times of the year.

Also he warned against the ‘impulse buy’ of which most of us are guilty!

His credo - Have a plan:

                        Choose evergreens and deciduous shrubs in a ratio of 1:3.

                        Have groups of        a) tall plants, 

                                                         b) infill plants

                                                          c) ground cover.

Regard bare soil as a sin!!

One execution of this idea was propounded by Adrian Bloom in his garden at Foggy Bottom when a variety of conifers were planted surrounded by many species of heathers.

(Which heather is the ‘hard of hearing plant’?  Answer  Erica carnea (carn ear))

Geoff recommended examples of evergreen variegated plants to add further interest:

            Group a)        Ceanothus ‘Zanzibar’

                                     Eleagnus x ebbengii  ‘Gilt Edge’, strongly scented flowers.

                                    Ilex ‘Golden King’.

Despite its name is a female plant which produces berries if close to Ilex ‘Silver Queen’ which is male plant!

(Sex in the plant world can sometimes be very confusing).

            Group b)        Leucothoe Scarletta           

                                    Pieris ‘Flaming Silver’

Silver foliage on plants is very useful to highlight an area and/or accentuate other plants around them.

Plants that offer more than one season of interest, not necessarily the same season can be used in combination or as focal points in the garden.

Examples:                 Acer palmatum cultivars

                                    Amelanchier species

                                    Dogwoods

                                    Cotoneaster horizontalis

                                    Hamemalis mollis

If you want long flowering shrubs that will give 365 days of interest choose Viburnum tinus and a selection of roses.

Another long flowering combination would be Fuschia and Penstemon cultivars.

Herbaceous perennials that give long periods of interest at different times of the year that could be included in group b)

                                     Helleborus foetidus

                                     Hostas

                                      Phlox

Flowering into Autumn         Asters

                                             Dahlias

And in group c)                     Dianthus

                                             Euphorbia characias subsp. Wulfenii

                                             Lamium maculatum

Bulbs and bulbous plants can be used in many combinations.

For example, growing through group c) plants or grown in pots to fill gaps that occur in a border by sinking the pot in the soil.

Examples:     Alliums

                        Cyclamen

Snowdrops

Narcissus

Tulips

All bulbs should be cared for after flowering by feeding, removing seed heads and allowing the foliage to die down naturally.

Bedding

            Begonias                   Summer flowering

            Petunias                    Spring/Summer flowering

            Primroses                  Winter and Spring flowering

Even Ornamental cabbages!!!!!!

Finally containers of any shape, size or material depending on your taste can be filled with any plant which performs for any season.

His last slide showed a combination of pots filled with upturned blue wine bottles to prove the notion that you can enjoy year round colour in your by consuming the contents of the bottles.

He then reminded us that he would pose a question with the spade as the prize.

“If you sat under the leaves of this plant you would surely die”. Name the plant?

After many guesses the audience admitted defeat. The answer:- A Water Lily!

So a second question was required.

What would you do with the seeds of Aesculus hippocastanum?

            The answer: Play conkers!

Yours truly is now the proud owner of a B&B Transplanting Spade.

            Len Speller

 

Unfortunately Sue Robinson has decided that she no longer wants to speak to Garden Groups. She will now be replaced by Geoff Hodge who is a garden writer, broadcaster & horticultural consultant.

Growing Norfolk and Suffolk Heritage Plants for the HPS Diamond Jubilee

When we host the national HPS Annual Lecture Day and AGM on March 25th 2017, Norfolk and Suffolk Group will be manning our own Heritage Plant stall to highlight the local connection with the Society's inception, and to raise funds for the Group.

We will be selling plants which originated in Norfolk and Suffolk, many of which will be plants named by Alan Bloom, who was a Founder member of the HPS, - one reason why we were asked to host the event. Many of the plants have been generously donated by Jaime Blake, Alan's son-in-law.

The plants have been mainly researched and gathered by Andrew Lawes and Colin Pusey, and grown on by them, Linda Hall, Sarah Rix, Brenda Reed, and me.

They are now being cared for through the Winter by John Metcalf, who will call upon us to pot them on or divide them, as  , (or do it himself!)

The varieties we have are: Erigeron 'Felicity', Aconitum lycoctonum 'Ivorine', Campanula 'Pouffe', Tradescantia 'Isis' Geranium cantabrigensis 'Cambridge', Geranium sylvaticum 'Mayflower', Tanacetum 'Bressingham Red', Aster 'Royal Velvet', Anemone 'Bressingham Glow', Geranium oxonianum 'Irene Hatwell', Iris 'Benton Varieties', all subject to the usual provisos!

If you have spares of any of these, or other varieties that you know to be correct and from our two Counties, which you would be willing to donate, we would be delighted to receive them, (contact Andrew, Colin, Chris or Linda).

We will have special souvenir labels relating the plants to Norfolk and Suffolk and the Diamond Jubilee of the HPS, with a picture, (which could be helpful in March). We hope to produce enough plants to offer a choice to the 150 national members we are aiming to encourage to attend, and to raise funds for the Group. We hope many of our own Group members will come and enjoy the day with us.

Chris Davies